Midnight in Peking: How the Murder of a Young Englishwoman Haunted the Last Days of Old China

Peking in 1937 was a vortex of privilege and scandal, opulence and opium dens, rumors and superstition, even as the Japanese prepared to invade. The discovery of 20-year-old Pamela Werner's mutilated body in the shadow of the haunted Fox Tower sent a shiver through the nervous city. Was it the work of a madman? A Japanese soldier? Or perhaps the malicious fox spirits? Two detectives, Peking police chief Colonel Han Shih-ching and British DCI Richard Dennis, teamed up to solve the case, each battling time and the meddling of their respective bureaucracies to track down suspects and piece together Pamela's last days before Peking fell to the Japanese. Shanghai-based historian Paul French spent seven years digging through archives in China and the United Kingdom, and in this riveting true crime story, illustrated with 16 pages of color photos, he at last uncovers the truth behind the internationally notorious murder.

"Not only does Mr. French succeed in solving the crime, he resurrects a period that was filled with glitter as well as evil, but was never, as readers will appreciate, known for being dull."—Economist (London)

"[The author] draws a chilling portrait of the city's decadent, violent and overly privileged Euro-American expatriate community. It is a feat comparable to that of White Mischief. Fascinating and irresistible. I couldn't put it down."—John Berendt